> The keyboards on their laptops are barely functional
This must be some definition of "barely functional" I'm unfamiliar with.
I've had a mid-2017 MBP since they were released. Yeah, I had to get the keyboard replaced when some keys failed after a year, but at least they did it for free. Actually, overall I prefer this keyboard to the 2013 I had previously. I think their failure rate is unacceptable, but they are certainly not "barely functional" by even the remotest interpretation of the phrase.
> Yeah, I had to get the keyboard replaced when some keys failed after a year
As a person who had to replace a microsoft ergonomic keyboard after 14 years and has never had to replace a laptop keyboard I would consider a laptop keyboard that was replaced after a year due to failed keys to qualify as 'barely functional.'
It's the 21st century. keyboards are a solved problem that should never fail. It's abject failure on the part of Apple for releasing a flagship laptop with such a comparatively shitty keyboard.
No keyboard should be failing at this point. Keyboards are a mature technology.
The new keyboard design was meant to solve problems that keyboards have not specifically addressed before. It was a failed design, absolutely. But 99% of the time the keyboard works to my satisfaction, so I do not understand how you can label it "barely functional". "Barely functional" means "it rarely functions as intended", which is so obviously not true in any case.
Does it fail more than the average keyboard? Yes. Am I pleased about its failure rate? Absolutely not. Would I rather have a different keyboard? Uhhh probably? I like the way the keys feel, such as the fact that they don't wobble in place like the previous generation, and I find that I do not type any slower or make more mistakes than I did previously. Probably this keyboard was designed for somebody who types like I do, and perhaps this is not the way most people type. (I say this because most people complain about the reduced travel, about the keys not registering presses all the time, and other issues.)
So my point is: the keyboard is bad as measured by multiple metrics, and Apple should feel bad about it, but there is no conceivable definition of "barely functional" that applies to this keyboard. Most of the time I have not had to worry about its failure rate because it does not affect me on a daily basis, even though I use it for typing everyday.
It's heavily dependent on personal taste, but for example I make easily twice as many mistakes typing with the new keyboard than I did with the old keyboard, or any other keyboard I own, on other laptops or standalone.
I wouldn't call it "barely functional" either since I can clearly still type on that keyboard, but the combination of mechanical failure rate and personal accuracy issues means that I buy the MBP despite the keyboard.
Yes, this is absolutely a fair take. I've heard from multiple people that they seem to make more mistakes with this keyboard, and other people say they just don't like the way it feels.
Personally, I find it to be an improvement over the previous generation in almost all respects except for, obviously, the failure rate. I hate that I am expecting the keyboard to fail again within a year or two, but perhaps I will be surprised and this particular one will last long enough that it won't be a problem for me.
Probably not. The keyboards on their laptops are barely functional but it doesn't stop people from saying how great they are.